Living in Harrison, Ohio: homes, prices and straight answers

Why do buyers look at Harrison?

Because it is one of the places in Hamilton County where your budget buys the most house. Buyers routinely find four-bedroom homes with two-car garages here at prices that would barely buy a two-bedroom condo in other parts of the region. The trade-off is a longer drive downtown, but with I-74 right there it is manageable.

The homes are newer, too. The median house in the city was built in 1992, compared with 1956 in Reading. I wrote more in 7 suburbs with more house for the money.

What is Trailhead?

A large new planned community off Edgewood Road, with a little over 200 home sites, built by Drees and Fischer Homes. When I toured it for my new construction video, it was the biggest new community I had seen in a while: single-family homes, patio homes and paired patio homes. Plans call for a pool and pavilion, plus walking paths and ponds.

In October 2026 Fischer Homes listed its Trailhead homes from about $382,000 to $589,000 and up. Starting prices are for the base house, so price the lot and the options you want before you compare. Read New construction vs. resale before you sign a builder contract, read the HOA documents (here is why), and bring your own agent to the first visit.

Where is Harrison, and what is there?

At the far west edge of Hamilton County, right on the Indiana state line, with West Harrison, Indiana next door. I-74 runs along the east side of town, and the historic downtown is on Harrison Avenue near the Whitewater River.

• Miami Whitewater Forest, a Great Parks of Hamilton County park of more than 4,000 acres, with a lake, trails and a campground, just outside town.
• Downtown Harrison, with local shops and restaurants along Harrison Avenue.
• I-74 and I-275, for the drive to downtown Cincinnati, the airport in Kentucky, or Indianapolis.

How does the Harrison income tax work?

If you live in the city, you pay Harrison 1% of your earnings, and since 2025 Harrison gives no credit for tax you pay where you work. Through 2023 the credit covered up to 1%; in 2024 it was cut to 0.5%, and in 2025 it ended, according to the Regional Income Tax Agency, which collects the city's tax. So if you work in Cincinnati, which charges 1.8%, you would pay 2.8% in all. In unincorporated Harrison Township there is no local income tax where you live, so check which side of the line a house is on.

Are property taxes high in Harrison?

Lower than most of Hamilton County. Hamilton County has some of the highest property taxes in Ohio, and you want to know the numbers before you agree to buy a house. For tax year 2025, an owner-occupied home in most of Harrison cost about $1,563 a year per $100,000 of market value, compared with about $1,855 in Reading and about $2,150 in the City of Cincinnati.

Source: the Hamilton County Auditor's rate sheet. Ask me for the actual tax bill on any house you like.

Which school district is Harrison in?

Southwest Local Schools, which covers the city and Harrison Township. Its high school is William Henry Harrison High School, and Friday night football games there feel like a town event. Southwest also serves Crosby and Whitewater Townships. You can compare districts on the Ohio School Report Card.